I applied for AEON Japan. Nothing is confirmed yet, however in the event that I somehow get hired I was wondering if it was possible to have a small side hustle for some extra cash 👀. I was thinking of building a passive income stream (so that way it wouldn’t impact my work as a teacher) but I was wondering if any of you guys here had made some extra money on the side here and whether or not it was legal. I know most teaching jobs in Korea don’t allow this but I wasn’t sure about japan hence why I’m asking.
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As long as it falls in the constraints of your visa. Working in eikaiwa means you are probably going to need to do something else because the pay is so low. Most do “lessons” in a cafe on their days off.
Does your company file taxes for you? If your side hustles are too lucrative, you could be in trouble for not claiming them on your taxes. But if it’s just a little here and there, I’ve never heard of anyone getting into trouble for it (except if you’re calling in sick to meet the requirements of your side hustle)
The “hustle” in side hustle kind of implies that you don’t ask permission to do it.
It really depends on what it is. If it’s completely handled by you and just paid in cash such as private lessons, no problem. If it’s through another school or something they might want you as an official paid employee which means you will have to claim them on your taxes. Also means you will need “permission” from your main job and will have to have that permission in writing so that you can present it when you apply for your visa. I work directly for a City Board or Education weekdays. Work at an English conversation school on Saturdays. Have written permission to work at the English conversation school and the school understands that my BoE job comes first.
If it’s outside or the permission granted by your visa, such as a side hustle as a farmer or something, I really don’t know how it’d work. Like if it was off the books paid in cash it’d be “fine.” But if it wasn’t, think there’d be some difficulty getting permission from the visa office.
Do it and don’t tell anyone
If it’s AEON, the contract specifically disallows working a part time job. I’m pretty sure since it’s a full time job it can be enforceable. AEON will also do your taxes so they will know.
Short answer is…
– Yes, lotsa people do privates and stuff. May or may not be legal (depending on your visa…etc) but I think small, casual arrangements are widespread.
– The broader question is whether you’ll have time/headspace to work after 8 hours worth of eikaiwa-style lessons. I’ve moved on now (lawyer with a house, kids, wife…etc) and reckon it’s best to enjoy your time in Japan while it lasts. You’ll have heaps of time to make proper money later down the track.
– Other than owning a good investment property or something, ‘passive income’ sounds like pyramid scam terminology to me. I wouldn’t get involved with anybody who’s offering you a ‘passive income’ (practical perspective).